Aviation, Plane & Pilot talk (formerly BBC 4 at 8pm)

[Kegsti66]

I feel the really sad thing is that the majority of people who were lucky enough to travel on them didn't appreciate just what it was doing, every flight.

[Crank]

The Russian rival, the TU 144 was not capable of super cruise and was only super sonic with its afterburners on. Making it deafening for passengers and giving it a shorter range. Reading the Wikipedia entry on the TU-144 makes you realise how much more advanced Concorde was.

[Johnboy]

And sadly it broke up in the air too . There is footage it .

[Sud 145]

According to my Nan, who was born in 1889 forget putting a man on the moon Concord was the best thing ever and would have been on her bucket list if she'd had the money.

[Johnboy]

She's got great taste

[Alfasixnut]

We were lucky enough to get a Paris/ London flight on Concorde (just before the Paris crash). It went out over the Atantic to go supersonic and then back over the Bristol Channel down to Heathrow. It certainly was a fantastic experience and the push from the seat back on take-off was really strong - then again to go past Mach 1 and up to Mach 2. So glad that we did it!

[Johnboy]

Lucky chap

[Marlow Sud]

I was always banging on about going on Concorde and never did anything about it.
Then on the BBC news they said it was your last chance to get a flight. I thought I had blown it but phoned up BA straight way. The bookings lady said she had three seats left. Two seats together and one on its own and that was that.
I booked the two seats one way to New York with a return on a 747. The flight was the evening flight out of LHR on 21st October 2003. The last passenger flight was 23rd October 2003.

The air hostess said the last two weeks of Concorde flights were completely different. Full of very excited passengers with a party atmosphere. Very different to the high flying businessmen who used it as a regular means of transport.
The other thing she said was that the passengers in the last two weeks were nicking everything that wasn't bolted down. I still have the tickets, boarding passes, menu and emergency card

There were several things that stick in my memory:

1. When the pilot did his control checks at the gate, the elevons were massive and moved very quickly.
2. The cabin floor was uphill for a long time and it wasn't flat for long.
3. You could feel the heat from the window on the side of your face.
4. We took off in the dark and we soon caught up with the sun and it was daylight again.
5. You land in NY before the time you took-off.
6. In the hold to land, it felt like you were wafting around on a big barn door.

All the best,
Simon

[Johnboy]

You can really go off some poeple
I'm so jealous right now . Stunning plane

[Marlow Sud]

I am not being ungrateful but given the choice, I would have swopped it for a 20 min go in a two seat lightning!

All the best,
Simon

[Kegsti66]

Very envious Simon, but for a big birthday last year, I went to NY and I love the idea of arriving before you left. So cool.

[Crank]

I am one of those that always thought about treating my family to a flight on Concorde but was not prepared to dig that deeply into my savings. Instead I would fly on the cheapest tickets to New York to stay with my sister, and now I will spend the rest of my life regretting it. Not flying on Concorde that is, not the visits to my sister and her family. You made the right decision Simon.

[Johnboy]

I am not being ungrateful but given the choice, I would have swopped it for a 20 min go in a two seat lightning!

All the best,
Simon

Well afew years ago you still could go in a two seater lightning in south Africa thundercity . But sadly that's no more . Because one of the pilots was killed.Due to not servicing the ejector seat . But one is back in the air now . But no paying passengers. But you never know.

[Spacenut]

Some great stories about a great plane guys, I'm only a little bit jealous.

I grew up near Weybridge, where the BAC factory turned out the rear fuselage sections for Concorde. As a consequence you would regularly see (and hear) pre-production prototypes flying over the factory on their way to Heathrow. A totally superb aircraft.

After all those horrible things Robert McNamara said about Concorde (and having cancelled the X-20 Dyna-Soar spacecraft AND the Boeing SST), I can't believe that the US got a Concorde to put on display. And as for the Paris air crash investigation, talk about a stitch-up - blaming the location of the engine air intakes for ingesting FOD? From a Douglas DC9? That Paris ATC were already aware of? Just thinking about the injustice makes me angry

Lauren

[Kegsti66]

Some great stories about a great plane guys, I'm only a little bit jealous.

I can't believe that the US got a Concorde to put on display.

Lauren

I think the US have at least two Lauren. They have an Air France one in the museum in Washington I went to.
Enola Gay and Discovery space shuttle plus loads more fantastic aircraft. I tried to put some up on here, but the files were too big.
Any Ideas folks on how I can reduce them?

[Marlow Sud]

Have you got an iPhone Keith?
Brgds
Simon

[Kegsti66]

Hi Simon, No, I don't have an iPhone.
I was going to post a photo of the Dornier Do 335 Arrow I took when you mentioned it earlier in this thread. My phone photos are fine to post but my camera's are bigger

[PETROLHEAD]

Email the pictures to me if you like, I'll sort them and post them up

[Kegsti66]

Email the pictures to me if you like, I'll sort them and post them up

Cheers mate, will do.

[PETROLHEAD]

and here they are Keith and Co!

[Kegsti66]

Thanks for that Shrew,

I am sure some of you will also have a thing for this beauty.
Always felt she looks a tough , dependable steed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnCZ0d7PiTA

[PETROLHEAD]

and some more

[Spacenut]

You're 86'd, as the Korean pilots used to say. The term derives from the exceptionally high kill ratio of the F86 Sabre during the conflict. I actually heard someone at Lockheed Martin use the term once.

Anyone got any SR71 piccies then? The ultimate in 1950s hypersonic design - speed, stealth and altitude all in one delicious radar-absorbent black package

Lauren

[Marlow Sud]

Love the F86 Sabre. The pilots would have preferred the cannon the Mig 15 had though.

Brgds,
Simon

[Spacenut]

I am sure some of you will also have a thing for this beauty.
Always felt she looks a tough , dependable steed.

And how - that area-ruled fuselage shape was designed for supersonic flight at low level, and they were built like a brick outhouse to withstand aircraft carrier landings. The only thing I have against the Buccaneer is that Lord Mountbatten used it as stalking horse to rubbish the TSR-2, which contributed to the MoD cancelling the programme. Not the Buccaneer's fault I suppose.

I remember when the Buccaneers were withdrawn from carrier service back in the late 70s (1979?). Swap Shop showed some cockpit footage of a low-level overflight (of Ark Royal I presume), followed by an enormous loop-the-loop. All set to Pink Floyd's Crazy Diamond. It's funny the things that stick in your head when you're growing up...

Lauren

[Spacenut]

Love the F86 Sabre. The pilots would have preferred the cannon the Mig 15 had though.

That's a great picture - the F86 is definitely the more aerodynamically refined aircraft, but I believe the MiG 15 had better climb rate and turn characteristics. And those Nudelmann cannons

[Marlow Sud]

Put this on your bucket list. Stallion 51 Florida.
You could eat your dinner off the hangar floor.

Then you get them out:

And climb in the back seat and start them up:

The air traffic controller was so excited with two Mustangs taking off in formation:

[Marlow Sud]

You get to fly in formation, loops, barrel rolls and pretend to be a fighter pilot. We approached each other head on but I was 13,500ft and my mate was at 3500ft. As he went under us we nosed up and pulled round 180 to dive down behind him in a mock attack approaching 400 mph. How on earth fighter pilots see the other aircraft and don't whizz past him I don't know. Great respect.

All the best
Simon

[Marlow Sud]

Some great stories about a great plane guys, I'm only a little bit jealous.

I can't believe that the US got a Concorde to put on display.

Lauren

I think the US have at least two Lauren. They have an Air France one in the museum in Washington I went to.
Enola Gay and Discovery space shuttle plus loads more fantastic aircraft. I tried to put some up on here, but the files were too big.
Any Ideas folks on how I can reduce them?

Fantastic collection of aircraft Keith. Would love to visit that Museum.

All the best
Simon

[Kegsti66]

Cheers guys, the museum is only twenty minutes from Dulles airport at Chantilly,
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... jjEvRHd6Hg

so spent a few hours there before flying home. There were three great museums in the Washington area.https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... elDzRX-xAQ



I have loads of photos of the space section with the shuttle, Japanese and German WW2 planes , plus most of the American fighters. Finally seen a Dauntless dive bomber plus the Migs (they were with the Sabre and Phantom). Loved the Shooting Star as well .
Un-like Duxford (no disrespect meant) you could get around most stuff. I will send Shrew a few SR71 pics for you Lauren, plus a "spacey"one.

Sad thing was a few days after we left they had a B17 flying in.

Simon, your P51 photos are "top trumps". I don't think any of us can match them. Awesome.